First time for a School to Donate: Milfordhaven Primary School Students Donate to MAMA Foundation | 1st December , 2025

Students and Staff representatives from Milfordhaven Primary School visited the Manolos Aviation base in Lae yesterday to present a generous donation in support of the Mountain Area Medical Airlift ( MAMA ) Foundation.

This is the first time a school in Lae has come together to contribute and donate to Manolos Aviation's Non Government Organization ( NGO ) , Mountain Area Medical Airlift ( MAMA ) Foundation. The donation contained toilet rolls, bath soaps, laundry detergents, and other more which the students were encouraged to give out of what they can contribute.

Student and staff representatives from Milfordhaven Primary School and MAMA Foundation during the presentation of the donation.

Milfordhaven Primary School has a long and proud history in Morobe Province. Established in February 1954, the school welcomed Sir Bob Sinclair the owner of Lae International Hotel and founder of Lae Builders and Contractors as its patron in 1995 until now. It was later officially opened by the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare on 31 July 1998, when he was Governor and Member for East Sepik Province.

The school logo for Milfordhaven Primary School.

Currently , the school educates 1,225 students, supported by 21 permanent teachers and 6 attached teachers, making it one of the largest primary schools serving the Lae community.

The school administration said the story of the conjoined twins, Tom and Sawong, and their fight for survival inspired both teachers and students to organize this contribution. They said the support may seem small, but it is deeply meaningful and will greatly help the mothers and patients assisted by the MAMA Foundation.

The school announced that the board has approved a donation day set for 24th of October for the school that will run annually. As the motive explained further was to instill morals into their students in community service and development.

MAMA Foundation received the donation and thanked the school , describing the moment as one of the highlights of the year. They said seeing a school come together to give for a greater cause was truly uplifting, and they commended the teachers and school board for teaching the right values, adding that “humanity is the first leap of faith any person can take.”

Manolos Aviation and the MAMA Foundation expressed heartfelt gratitude to the students, teachers, and administration for their generosity, saying community support like this strengthens the lifesaving work carried out across Papua New Guinea.